Beaded Leather Kumihimo Bracelet Tutorial with Sliding Knot

If you've mastered the basic 8-strand Kumihimo braid but would love to take it to the next level, then this project is right up your alley.  Without learning anything new, you can make a simple braid look very classy just by working with a totally different stringing material.  In this tutorial, you'll combine 3 different techniques to create a gorgeous beaded Kumihimo bracelet.  You'll learn the basic braid How to add beads as you go Learn how to make your bracelet adjustable by tying a sliding knot - no clasp required! For this project, I used ReaLeather 1mm leather cord which is thin enough to string large-hole seed beads. Look for it at Michaels under the Bead Landing label. Or, you can substitute other types of cord. Whatever you choose, it needs to be round and firm.  Here's what you'll need: 1mm leather or round cord  in 3 colours. I chose Gold , Silver and Black   Seed beads with 1mm or larger hole : approximately 24 each of tr......

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The Sliding Knot - More than Just a Knot

One of the most practical knots you'll learn to tie when working with leather cord is the sliding knot . It's also known as a coil knot or a barrel knot because of its shape. It eliminates the need for a clasp and end caps on bracelets and necklaces and is a great way to lengthen and shorten necklaces to suit your neckline. But it's way more than just a means of making adjustable jewellery - it's very versatile and it can be used in  so many ways  to add interest to your leather cord jewellery. Take a look at some of the many different ways it can be used and then scroll down to see how to tie a barrel knot. Use it to secure beads in the centre of bracelet or necklace. In this example, a barrel knot on either side of the focal beads keeps them from working their way around to the back of the bracelet. Use barrel knots as a decorative element to add interest to a plain cord This necklace uses white barrel knots to give the plain black stringing ......

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How to Shorten a Kilt Pin

In my last post, I shared a project using an unbent kilt pin . These are sometimes called hat pins or safety pins. With an unbent pin, you're able to string beads directly onto the shaft where they will be secured by turning a safety pin loop. The hard part is judging how many beads to string before creating the double loop. Sometimes, you don't get it quite right, like the pin below. After turning the loop, the pin was way too long to slide under the clasp. But no need to despair..... it's fixable! Read on to see how I do it. You'll need a couple of tools to rectify the problem: memory wire shears and a drill with grinding bits. I like Her Embosser battery-operated drill because it's so portable and lightweight but a Dremel is good too. Begin by trimming away the excess pin. It needs to be long enough to catch under the clasp. I've trimmed this one just shorter than the beginning of the curve of the clasp. This is a steel pin so it's essent......

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